Photographer's Note

The Colossi of Memnon are a trio of weathered statues on the west bank of the nile near Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. The 48c heat and backlight were not conducive to a good color shot so I tried a sepia conversion. I never noticed the dozens of roosting pigeons seeking shade when I took this. The 2 fg statues depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III and date from 1350 BC. More information from Wikipedia here:

Hurrah, TE works again. I had doubts about it. Interesting sepia conversion. I thought it is the historic picture. The view hasn't changed during hundreds of years. we can't see any tourists here. 48c heat - yuou had quite warm there :).

Hello Chris,
Great photos of these impressive statues. The shapes of the mountains make a great background too. I can't decide which version I like best. I like the mix of green and brown tones in the colour version a lot, but the sepia one gives the impression of being taken long ago during the first explorations of this place.
Lars

Hello Chris
I think the colours of the coloured version are not so bad. As a matter of facts, I like them, but I do like even more the sepia version for it reminds me to the pictures in my old study-book with the history of ancient architecture.
Excellent double presentation.
Have a nice day. Groet Rob

Good day.
Nice view, good text ...
Good work with two photos, a beautifully shown place and old sculptures, good perspective and contrast, nice colors.
Beautiful old sculptures and mountains in the background.
I wish you good afternoon, all the best.

Hello Chris,
I think the sepia version looks very much like a photo from more than 100 years ago would have looked like. One of the early European explorers could have taken it. On the other hand the original version looks better than you claim. The heat and backlight hasn't done much harm. What a fantastic place this is.
Kind regards,
Gert

Scaled well by fence poles and wires with exceptional depth and good use of the available light, Chris.
I find the colors version is good result to what you had written, while the sepia format taking us back in time...
Good night,
Ike

Hello Chris,
I like the picture in colour because although the greenery is quite limited on this plain, it still makes a nice contrast with the orange brown mountain slopes. Curious but the houses of the village on the background look mostly yellow.
If you wouldn't have mentioned it in your note, I probably would not have noticed the many pigeons. And yet they are many.
Impressive dimensions of these sculptures.
Best regards, Paul

Hi Chris
I have to take a closer look at these. Let me read the note first. I actually prefer the regular photo, yes, the sky may be a bit funky but the lighting in lower portion and middle portions are excellent. In the sepia version, the buildings on the hillside get lost and blend in with the mountain, but they stand out in the colored version.

I have never seen these statues before, I wonder why???? they'r fantastic. What where they used for? excellent shot. cheers
Craig

Hello Chris,
I like your POV that provides a nice layered composition. While I like the sepia conversion, I think the color version is just fine - not stupendous but just fine for a postcard. I think you could get more out of it by playing with shadows/highlights and saturation.
Regards,
MT